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Stephen King and the Art of Horror

We make up horrors to help us cope with real ones.

— Stephen King.

Stephen King is known to many as the “king” of horror because of his many works such as It, Cujo, The Shining, Carrie and Pet Semetary but many do not know the man behind the novels.

King was the youngest son of his single mother and instantly fell in love with fiction. He attended the University of Maine Orono in 1969 where he began writing. His wife, Tabitha, whom he also met in University and married in 1971, was “one of the first to read Stephen’s short stories in college, and loaned Stephen her own typewriter” according to Vox. She even “refused to let him take a higher-paying job that would mean less time to write” due to her belief that he would become successful.

In 1999, in his home state of Maine, King was taking a stroll when he was suddenly struck by an oncoming vehicle that has veered off of the highway. While recovering he began to realize all of the new experiences that would come out of his injury and used it to further his writing. Any fan of King knows that he uses Maine as

After the success of his novel Carrie, which King sold for $2,500, and its adapation into a movie King would go on to create many other novels. When reflecting on those events he went on to tell New York Times that “The movie made the book and the book made me.”

King is still very successful in 2020 with his classic novel It receiving another film adaptation and him even playing a role in it. He also has a successful Hulu series called “Castle Rock.”

Keep Your Hands Clean with Horror Themed Soap

While searching through multiple horror themed sites, I came across one that may be of some use to everyone!!

Horror Decor, as the name states sells horror themed items to decorate your home with. From Pennywise covered pillows to VHS wax melts, this site has many handmade items to suit your horror needs!

One thing stood out in particular, especially due to the fact that were all stuck in quarantine and that’s handsoaps. Not just any handsoaps but handsoaps with references to many horror classics such as Candyman and Nightmare on Elm Street. With names like Sanderson Sister’s Life Potion, which is a reference to Hocus Pocus and Dr. Lecter’s Chianti Scented Goat Milk Soap, the incredibly impressive handmade soaps are not only fun to look at but smell great and keep you safe during the current crisis.

Horror YouTube Channels To Watch in Quarantine

Though all of us are still under lock and key due to this new pandemic, there is no reason you should be bored! This is why I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite horror (and horror adjacent) YouTube channels I o ease my boredom.

Dead Meat, is a horror themed Channel hosted by James A. Janisse with his most popular series “The Kill Count” where it’s his job to “tally up the victims in all your favorite horror movies.” His combination of extreme passion for horror franchises as well as his quick witty humor and pop culture references, keep you hooked to your screen and laughing the whole way. Kill Counts aren’t the only thing his channel has to offer, other videos include vlogs of horror conventions such as “Texas Frightmare,” celebrity interviews, as well as his Podcast “The Dead Meat Podcast” which he host with his fiancé Chelsea Rebecca. I cannot express how much I enjoy this channel and the hours on hours of enjoyment you will get from the channels content.

Crypt TV is the second channel on the list which provides audiences with tons of original horror short films. Many of the films come in separate parts to keep audiences coming back for more with some of their most popular videos being “The Look-See,” “Sunny Family Cult,” and “The Birch.” This channel is full off content that will guarantee a good story and scare.

The final channel on this list is FoundFlix which is hosted by Chris Dandridge where a long running series called “Ending Explained” still continues till this day. The premise is clear by the name, but similar to Dead Meat, Chris recaps the film for the audience and also points out small details we may have missed. His explanation of some of the more complicated horror films help simplify complex themes as well as provide witty entertainment for die hard horror fans or the casual watcher.

Horror Related Content to Binge During Quarantine

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic l, many of us are at home with very little to do besides watch tv. Fans of horror have much to be excited about with many streaming services offering free subscriptions for those stick at home! Today I will list many of those services and give some recommendations to help ease those quarantine blues.

HBO is offering 500 hours of watchtime during the pandemic which is exciting for those with an interest in horror because films like “US” and “The Nun” are available for streaming through their service.

Shudder, a horror only streaming service, offers a wide array of famous horror films as well as many originals. Shudder is offering 7 weeks free for new users, so for die hard fans of horror this service is a must!

Quibi is a new streaming service that offers tons of original shows “designed for your phone.” The app has began to gain traction with actresses such as Chrissy Teigen being a figurehead for some of the commercials.

Obviously Netflix and Hulu are still options for horror films but I thought I’d offer a few new recommendations you may have not heard of!

Hereditary Review

Ari Astor’s Hereditary is a masterpiece of horror that will shock you to your core. The film, that was made in 2018, was nominated for 104 awards and won 44 according to IMDb. It grossed over $80 million with a $10 million budget.

The film follows “A grieving family” that “is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.” Without spoiling the film, it is absolutely phenomenal! All the subtle noises and haunting images help pull you into the film and truly scare you. I’m not one to find myself terrified after watching horror films, but this film left me feeling uneasy and disturbed.

The acting from Alex Wolff and Toni Collette really brings their characters to life and helps add depth to the story. Their chemistry as a mother and son as well as their fellow cast members help create a realistic family dynamic. This film may require a few watches due to small details that may not be caught on first watch but I find this film to be highly rewarding, especially to those who are fans of the genre.

Greg Nicotero, the Man Behind the Monsters

Greg Nicotero is a special effects makeup artist known for his work on projects such as The Walking Dead, Night of the Living Dead, and Predators. His interest in special effects began with the movie Jaws. He said “I kept thinking ‘How the hell did they do that?! How’d they build a big giant shark that could eat people?!”

His career began on the George A Romero’s famous film, Day of the Dead where he worked as an effects artist. He even trained under Tom Savini, another famous effects artist who worked on the Friday the 13th franchise. While on set of Day of the Dead, he met Howard Berger who convinced him to move to Hollywood. There, Nicotero, Berger and Robert Kurtzman formed the KNB EFX group.

Today Nicotero continues his work on The Walking Dead as well as build the KNB EFX group as a company. He even has dipped into the acting field with roles in Inglorious Basterds, The Hills Have Eyes, and Day of the Dead. With acting also comes directing with Nicotero directing multiple episodes of The Walking Dead and a short film titled, United Monster Talent Agency.

My First Experience with Horror

When I was a kid I never found myself too interested in the horror genre and spent most of my time covering my eyes at anything even remotely scary. It wasn’t until I watched the ending to Jeepers Creepers that I truly fell in love with horror and became truly terrified.

The end depicts young protagonist, Darry, being held by the monster at the end of the movie as his sister, Trish, watches in horror as the monster sprouts wings and flies out of the window. The final shot of the movie is one that takes you through an abandoned factory as we can hear distant but echoed screams. Finally, we see Darry’s corpse missing eyes and hallowed out as the monster steps into frame to look through the eye sockets.

As a kid that absolutely shocked me but also sparked a lifelong interest in the art of horror. I began asking myself questions like, “How did that look so real? Why did that scare me, it’s just a movie?” I began to appreciate how incredible the art of filmmaking is and wanted to develop it further. I did so by watching other horror films such as The Thing and the Childs Play franchise, which I always farted my head away from when in the movie section of Walmart. While The Thing is my favorite horror movie, I’m more interested in the practical effects but it never truly scared me. Until Hereditary.

Hereditary is a film that absolutely shook me to my core as an 18 year old. Everything about that movie leaves you with a feeling of unease and I highly encourage anyone to watch if they haven’t because words cannot describe how scary it is.

Now, here I am at the age of 19 going to school to become a horror director all because of a movie that I wasn’t supposed to be watching to begin with.

Upcoming Horror Conventions 2020

Horror as a genre has exploded over the last decade with more and more horror themed conventions and 2020 is no exception with hundreds of conventions happening this year!

Texas Frightmare, a convention held annually in Dallas at the Hyatt Regency Hotel is one of the big ones. According to their website “Texas Frightmare Weekend hosts celebrity appearances, autograph signings, screenings, exclusive parties and horror memorabilia vendors from all over the country.” Some of the most notable guest appearances at the convention have been John Carpenter, Robert Englund, George A. Romero, and Danny Trejo. The convention last from May 1st to 3rd.

Monsterpalooza, another big horror conventions showcases tons of practical effects make-up among other things. Starting in 2008, Monsterpalooza has quickly soared to the top of horror conventions and is known internationally as the place to see incredible monsters and meet other horror enthusiast. Their website says that it is the longest running “Celebration of the Art of Monsters and Movie Magic.” The convention is held every year in Pasadena, California and last from May 8th- 10th at the Pasadena Convention Center. Guests for this year include Matthew Lillard, Kane Hodder and Anthony Micheal Hall.

The last on my list, but certainly not the last of the year, is Monster-Mania Con. Monster-Mania takes place from March 13th-15th as well as August 14th-16th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. If you miss those two dates or don’t live near New Jersey, another will be taking place in Hunt Valley, Maryland on October 23-25th. Like the conventions before it, Monster-Mania is the place to meet horror actors, see amazing cosplays as well as buy horror merchandise. This year Monster-Mania is hosting a Childs Play reunion, with most of the original cast making an appearance. Danny Trejo and David Harbour will also be making an appearance along with many others.

Those three only scratch the surface of what horror conventions are taking place this year. I encourage anyone with an interest in horror to do their research on a location near them and go experience the joy for themselves

John Carpenter, Master of Terror

John Carpenter is an American director, producer, composer, screenwriter, etc from Carthage, New York. He is known for his work on many films such as The Thing, Halloween, Escape From New York, as well as Big Trouble, Little China. He has won Academy Awards such as the Award for Best Live Action Short Film for the film The Resurrection of Billy Bronco.

In the 1970s, he directed his first major film Dark Star which he cowrote with Dan O’Bannon, the genius behind the story of cult classic Alien and later went on to work with George Lucas on Star Wars.

Carpenter has worked with famous actor Kurt Russell on multiple occasions using him as the main protagonist in many of his films such as the ones listed above, excluding Halloween. Russell also stared in the Carpenter directed television movie, Elvis.

Carpenter has even adapted some of Stephen King’s work such as Christine and Firestarter.

Halloween is known as one of Carpenter’s greatest work and the famous score from the film was composed by Carpenter himself. The budget for the film was $300,000 which in the movie industry doesn’t amount to much but the film ended up grossing over $65 million.

Carpenter doesn’t see much work today due to him being in his 70’s but his son Cody Carpenter is a film score composer who, to bring it full circle, composed some of the music in the 2018 remake of Halloween.

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